Episode 701: New Deal
New Deal is the first episode of the seventh season, and the ninety-ninth episode overall. Notes Clients: N/A Bad Guys: Randall Burke Synopsis Michael is recruited by a terrorist to steal sensitive equipment from a secured defense facility of a Latin American Private Military Contractor; Sam and Jesse search for answers. Spy Facts A deep cover job changes you in ways that are hard to describe. To become another man for months or years, it's impossible to go through and not be affected at the most basic level. In a way, that's the point. Deep cover is only used to go after the hardest targets. The ones who can't be approached. The ones who can see through the smooth lie. The ones who know the real thing when they see it. The only way in with a target like that is to become the real thing. Every hour, every day, whether you're in public or alone, you have to live the life of the man you're claiming to be. It creeps into your soul after a while. Spend enough time posing as an alcoholic ex-spy committing the occasional crime to pay the rent, and the line between fiction and fact becomes blurry. Eventually, the question isn't whether the cover I.D. will attract the target, it's whether there will be enough of you left to complete the mission when it does. For a spy operating under a cover I.D., security options are limited. You can't exactly hire a guard or install an expensive alarm system if you're supposed to be barely scraping by. That means you have to improvise. Connecting a motion sensor in your apartment to a porch light, for example, can protect your home and protect your identity. It's also a good idea to find a place you can get into without using the front door. Most people don't go looking for second floor apartments with windows facing an alley, but in a pinch, there's nothing like it. The concept of sharing information that operatives "need to know", isn't just used by intelligence agencies. Terrorists use it too, for the same reasons. It's a challenge when you're infiltrating a terrorist organization because it means you don't get to know exactly what you're a part of, until it's too late to do anything about it. Smuggling anything into a secure building is all about misdirection. You can't keep alarms from going off or dogs from barking, but you can mask why it's happening. A metal detector can't differentiate between a Smith & Wesson .45, and a steel-sided floor polisher. The same way a bomb-sniffing German Shepherd doesn't know the difference between the smell of C-4, and nitrogen-based fertilizers. C-4 is the most popular military explosive mainly because it's extremely stable. That's great if safety is your main concern, but not so great if you're short a detonator. When you have to improvise, a primary explosive like mercury fulminate mixed with gunpowder can provide the energy needed to set off a chunk of C-4. Provided you can get them in place, without blowing your hand off. An easy way to tell if a house is occupied is to monitor the electricity usage with a non-contact voltage meter. You can do a quick check of the breaker box and see if anyone's got the lights on. Once you're at the structure, the next step is getting in. The same portable voltage tester you used to measure electrical usage, can also detect electrical currents. Which means, if you can get close to your target's doors and windows, you can tell if he's got an active alarm system, with a wave of your hand. Of course, just because they don't have an alarm system, doesn't mean you don't have to worry about less-conventional forms of security. Claymore mines are one of the most lethal anti-personnel devices in existence. The shrapnel inside can rip through the wall of a house and still be deadly up to 200 meters. But because a Claymore is a directional charge, most of the blast is propelled forward, which means if disarming it isn't an option, being behind it when it goes off is the next best thing, as long as you have adequate cover. If you work in covert operations long enough, you develop a sixth sense for when your cover has been blown. When you think you might of been compromised, it pays to trust your instincts. After all, the only way you know for sure your cover has been blown is when someone puts a bullet in the back of your head. Full Recap The episode begins in the Dominican Republic. Michael Westen washes blood off his face and out of his mouth and then tapes up his fists. He does a shot and heads out into a darkly lit bar area to compete in some Fight Club-esque action. His opponent lays him out in short order. Nine months earlier: Westen learns from his new handler, Andrew Strong, that his actions (the death of Tom Card) have made him an enemy of every American intelligence organization. His friends are all locked up in custody and Westen looks miserable. The man talking to him offers him a deal. Present day: Michael pulls himself off the floor and does another shot. Some brutal back and forth fighting follows, including having a beer bottle smashed over his head. Nine months earlier: Michael has been sent to the Dominican Republic to track down the target – who is Randall Burke, an old colleague of Michael. Present day: Randall watches Michael beat his opponent into a pulp. Their eyes lock and Michael finishes his opponent. Michael is outside now some time later. He walks up some stairs at a sleazy hotel and drowns his misery in a bottle. A voice says he has become the person he is pretending to be and that the alcoholic pit fighter is who he feels like he is now. He meets with two men and the situation quickly deteriorates. He puts the two men down and then Burke appears out of nowhere. Burke talks to Michael about a possible job but he is not convinced that Michael is right for it. Michael’s arm is bleeding and Burke says that never would have happened to the old Michael. Burke tells Michael to get his head right and walks off. Now Michael is at a baseball game where he meets with Strong. Michael reveals that Burke has some doubts about working together and Strong is not happy with this news. He tells Michael that if this goes badly its Michael’s tail that is going down. We learn that the deal they made was that Strong would take care of Michael’s friends and Michael would take down Burke. That night, Michael returns home and an improvised motion detector shows him that someone is in his apartment. He enters the apartment and it is Burke and one of the men from earlier. Michael pushes for info about the job but Burke wants Michael to prove himself. Step one in that process is no more alcohol. Burke says if Michael drinks again he will put a bullet in the back of his head. He tells Michael that this is not a job, it is a new life that he is offering. In Miami, Sam Axe is sitting poolside. He talks to a guy about a cake for a surprise party and Axe is told that someone wants to talk to him about Westin. He heads inside and meets a French Intel officer. The officer tells Axe about what Michael is doing in the Dominican Republic and wants to know if he is on official business or not. Axe has no idea. Michael’s life is in danger and this man offers protection, as long as he knows the truth. We learn that the French Intel officer is not what he seems, as he pulls a knife on Axe and threatens to kill him (while dropping the French accent). He slips out and Axe seems confused. Axe rushes out and meets Jesse Porter. Porter’s computer was hacked today, but Axe pushes the repair man away. He tells Porter that he heard Michael is in trouble. A guy met Porter took, an Australian who meets the same description. Axe calls up Fiona Glenanne, who is loading a shotgun as she is on the job. Fiona is with her new bounty hunter boyfriend Carlos Cruz and she shoots a perp square in the chest – with a beanbag round. Axe calls her back. Porter, Axe and Fiona are meeting for the first time in a few months. They talk about what they have missed and we learn that Madeline Westen has a custody hearing the next day. Fiona walks off after agreeing to do it, for Madeline. In the Dominican Republic, Burke is preparing Michael for his trial mission. Michael’s job is to load the security firm up with explosives. This is a test to see that Michael has the skills Burke needs. Pablo (one of the two men who jumped Michael earlier) will be helping him inside. Pablo used to work for the security company and has inside information. Burke vouches for Pablo and we learn that Burke and Pablo are close. Burke will tolerate no disrespect from either one towards the team. Michael learns that the OP is a go in 3 hours. Fiona is at Madeline’s house and Madeline is furious that Fiona has a gun out, citing the fact that child services could show up at any moment. Madeline’s focus is on Charlie, her grandson that she is trying adopt after he lost both of his parents. Porter calls Fiona and we learn that Porter may have a lead on the mysterious man seeking Michael. Michael and Pablo enter the security building, loaded with explosives and weapons. Careful planni ng gets them past the guard dogs and security wands. Burke is watching them from an elevated position and serving as their eye in the sky. Pablo improvises when the code he has does not work and wants to take a guard hostage. But Michael talks him out of it, opting instead to use some C4 to get the door open. They tell Burke they are coming out hot and he prepares his sniper rifle. A gunfight erupts inside and Pablo takes one in the leg. Michael stops to save him, barely making it out in time before the facility erupts in a massive explosion. As guards approach in a truck, Burke suppresses them and gives new guidance. Pablo and Michael make it out safely. Porter and Axe arrive at the house they think the mystery man is at, nonchalantly walking around the house. They check the electric box and assume the man is not there. They go around the back check for an alarm. Axe picks the lock and goes to open the door, but right behind it is a claymore. Axe is stuck holding the knob while Porter tries to figure out what to do. Madeline goes to a court for her appearance and the mystery man is there to talk to her. He is now posing as a child custody specialist, with no accent. The man praises her, but says that Michael poses a risk. Without knowing where Michael is, the man says the department will have to place Charlie in foster care. Madeline says that Michael is working on a government assignment and reveals that he is working with the CIA. Porter breaks part of the house off and tries to change the claymore’s trajectory. He slides it backwards slightly, but struggles to get it totally away from Axe. Porter moves way away from the potential blast area in fear, but there was nothing to worry about – Axe dives away safely as the claymore goes off. They enter the house and search for evidence. They find a bunch of fake IDs, including one for child protective services. They call Fiona and tell her that the man with Madeline is bad news. Fiona rushes to Madeline and Madeline realizes what she has done. Pablo wishes that Michael stole a car with air conditioning as they try to get through a police checkpoint. Michael believes that his cover has been blown as Pablo takes a phone call. Michael tries to get Pablo to give him his gun, but Pablo reveals that he knows the truth about Michael. As the guards at the checkpoint talk to them, Michael slams a clipboard down on Pablo’s leg and floors it. The guards blast the car and Pablo does not make it. Michael gives himself up. That night, Burke meets with Michael and wants to know how Pablo went down. Burke gets emotional about Pablo’s death and says he is going away for a few days. He tells Michael to lay low and he needs to be ready when Burke returns. Michael meets with Strong the next day. Strong reveals that to Michael someone is asking around Miami about what Michael is up to. Strong is heading to Miami to try to get things fixed and he is bringing Michael with him. Their mission is to eliminate the man asking around about him. Cast Main *Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen *Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona Glenanne *Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe *Coby Bell as Jesse Porter *Sharon Gless as Madeline Westen Recurring *Jack Coleman as Andrew Strong *Adrian Pasdar as Randall Burke Major Events Trivia It was revealed in this episode that Ruth Westen (Nate's wife) was in rehab. Category:Season 7 Category:Season 7 Episodes